A 46-year-old man residing in Boti, located in the Yilo Krobo Municipality of the Eastern Region, is currently recovering from four injuries, including a dislocated bone, inflicted during a chaotic police operation in the community.
Anthony Soda, a farmer who is married and has five children, was shot four times on June 20, 2023. He sustained gunshot wounds in his buttocks, abdomen, and right leg during an encounter with four individuals later identified as officers from the Police Intelligence Department (PID) of the Regional Police Command in Koforidua. These officers were part of a special anti-narcotics operation targeting a suspected female drug dealer in Boti.
The undercover officers, posing as interested buyers of the illegal substance, initially arranged a meeting with the woman known only as Korkor at her supply point in Boti.
To conceal their true identities and appear as drug peddlers, the officers dressed in plain clothes and wore earrings as they stormed the community.
However, during the course of the arrests, the victim, who was at home at the time, explained that he was drawn to the scene by shouts from residents claiming that armed robbers had invaded the community.
Upon arrival, he witnessed four men, two of them armed with guns, forcibly putting the suspect into a taxi while some women and children yelled “armed robbers.”
“I was asleep when I heard shouts of ‘armed robbers’ from some eyewitnesses. When I got there, a poultry farmer (a woman) was being forced into a taxi as she fiercely resisted. I asked them what was happening, but they pushed me away. Some of them had dreadlocks, while others had cornrows and earrings. I tried again and was pushed once more,” Mr. Soda recounted.
Fueled by anger, he further explained that he attempted to deflate the taxi’s tires to immobilize it and prevent the “robbery gang” from abducting the woman. This prompted one of the armed men to shoot him in the buttocks. As he resisted, he was subsequently shot three more times.
The farmer shared his experience: “I bent down to deflate the tires and prevent their escape. Immediately, I was shot in the buttocks. I grabbed a stick to hit his hand, and he shot my leg. Then he shot the same leg again. I fell, and he shot me in the abdomen.”
The assailants were then able to escape with the suspect.
Some young men from the community took Mr. Soda to a healthcare facility in Klo-Agogo on a motorbike for medical treatment. However, they were later referred to the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua. On their way, they encountered some police officers in a pickup truck who provided transportation to the hospital.
He underwent surgery at the hospital and remained there for eight days.
When asked if the men identified themselves as security operatives, Mr. Soda responded negatively, saying, “Even if she had been handcuffed, that would have convinced me they were from the police service. They didn’t identify themselves in any way.”
After paying approximately GH₵3,800 in medical bills, he revealed that he had also paid an additional GH₵1,500 to a herbal practitioner to treat the dislocation caused by the gunshots. This contradicted the hospital’s recommendation for him to seek specialized treatment at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Koforidua.
According to Mr. Soda, although some police personnel came to the hospital to take his statement, no action has been taken to cover his medical expenses.
When asked if he plans to seek compensation from the police service for the harm he endured and the expenses incurred, he stated that he had yet to discuss the matter with family members to determine their next course of action.
Attempted lynching of police
The presence of undercover security operatives and the subsequent shooting of Mr. Soda convinced the rest of the community that these individuals were indeed armed robbers and kidnappers who had attacked their community.
Enraged by this, the youth in the community alerted their friends in neighboring Nkurakan, who set up a roadblock in anticipation of the alleged robbers. The youth from Boti also gave chase to the suspects.
Eventually, the officers were intercepted by the youth in Nkurakan, forcing them to seek refuge at the Nkurakan police station, along with the suspect.
The youth then gathered at the police station, demanding the release of the officers, whom they still believed were armed robbers and kidnappers. They wanted to take matters into their own hands and deliver instant justice.
However, a reinforcement team of police personnel from the Counter Terrorism Directorate (CTD) of the Ghana Police Service in Koforidua intervened in the midst of the chaos. They managed to ensure the safety of their colleagues and restore order by firing several warning shots, while the youth responded by throwing stones at them.